TEHRAN (NIPNA) -- The Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI) has successfully developed the technical know-how for production of ultrafiltration membrane at semi-industrial level.
RIPI, joined by
the Petrochemical Research and Technology Company (PRTC), has manufactured a
system for formulation of ultrafiltration membrane.
The system can
produce 15 meters of 50-cm wide membrane every minute.
Ultrafiltration
(UF) is a variety of membrane filtration in which forces like pressure or
concentration gradients lead to a separation through a semipermeable
membrane.
Suspended
solids and solutes of high molecular weight are retained in the so-called
retentate, while water and low molecular weight solutes pass through the
membrane in the permeate (filtrate).
This separation
process is used in industry and research for purifying and concentrating
macromolecular (103 - 106 Da) solutions, especially protein solutions.
High
selectivity, low energy consumption, low installation and operation costs are
some of the features of this new UF system.